Ukraine’s brabrabra helping to develop specially designed combat underwear for servicewomen

The initiative was launched because female service personnel are generally issued men's uniforms and underwear. Charitable foundations, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, and businesses are working to solve the problem.

Trial samples are in production, and servicewomen should receive their first specially designed set of underwear, including a top and two sets of briefs, this fall.

Brabrabra drew inspiration from original designs by the US, Israeli, German, and Canadian militaries. The company’s main goal is to ensure that servicewomen can feel comfortable in extreme conditions.

Conditions in a war zone can be harsh, with limited access to water and personal hygiene products. Being at the front, service personnel do not always have the opportunity to take a shower, and washing machines aren’t present. As such, servicewomen need specialized underwear that can be adapted to combat conditions.

"The comfort of underwear is, of course, important. Usually, the "working day" here is irregular, so it is impractical to serve while experiencing consistent discomfort. It has long been proven that uncomfortable underwear can negatively affect women's health," said ‘Nastya’, a servicewoman in a missile system company.

Servicewomen have clear criteria for the "ideal" set of tactical underwear: comfort, reliability, and quality. This includes bottoms made from high-quality materials that provide ventilation and moisture management, as well as comfortable cuts that do not restrict movement and are suitable for use with body armor.

As such, civilian women's underwear cannot meet these basic requirements. Servicewomen have also consistently emphasized that dark colors and synthetic materials are essential, as these factors allow underwear to be washed without complications, and drying time is significantly reduced.

"The military should have comfortable, high-quality underwear according to size. Because sometimes it is not possible to wash, and you have to at least change your clothes so that it does not rub anywhere. After all, the pain from the rubbing and the discomfort distract from the work that you have to do quickly and with concentration," explained ‘Makosha,’ a junior sergeant and combat medic.

At present, about 42,000 women are serving in the military, both at the rear and on the front lines.

At the beginning of July, the Ministry of Defense presented a new women's summer field uniform. During development, the anthropometric data of women was considered and constructive changes were made, in order to better adapt to the female body.